3.5 Razors

The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane #4

/ / Comics

The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane #4Following the loss of Margo Lane, the Shadow begins to feel untethered without his companion’s council. After paying a visit to one his most loyal soldiers, Dr. Tam, Lamont feels steady enough to continue his search for he illusive Red Empress. Despite losing control at one point while scaring the information he needs out of a witness, the Shadow is able to finally find the secret mobile lair of his enemy.

Parachuting onto the boat in the dead of night, the Shadow makes his way into the inner sanctum and finally comes face-to-face with the Red Empress who knows far more about the Shadow than he could ever have suspected. Setting up the final showdown between the pair in next month’s final issue of the five-issue mini-series, writer/artist Matt Wanger reveals the identity of the Shadow’s new nemesis to be Zhu Khanum, the daughter of Shiwan Khan.

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Trinity #1

/ / Comics

Trinity #1Written and drawn by Francis Manapul, Trinity #1 focuses on the DCU’s big three: Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The most low key of any number one issue following the Rebirth relaunch, the first issue of the new series involves Lois inviting Bruce and Diana to dinner at the farm in order to get to know them (and force Clark to do the same). After a brief misunderstanding with Supes, Jr., things calm down quickly and allow the group to spend some non-life-threatening time together.

The first issue of the comic proves to be a pleasant surprise. With these three characters providing the pillars of the new DCU it’s good to see them together in this kind of setting. Lois and Diana are able to touch on her feelings for her dead Superman without needing to get bogged down in Diana’s loss, while the two heroes are able to get a better feel for the new Kal-El in their world.

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The Good Place – Tahani Al-Jamil

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Good Place – Tahani Al-Jamil
  • IMDb: link

The Good Place - Tahani Al-Jamil

Eleanor Shellstrop’s (Kristen Bell) determination to prove that her neighbor Tahani Al-Jamil (Jameela Jamil) is an awful person leads her to spend some time with her neighbor, eventually admit her mistake, make a new friend, and discover that she isn’t the only member of The Good Place who doesn’t belong. Continuing to show us Eleanor’s selfish behavior before her death, “Tahani Al-Jamil” continues to allow the character to grow in the afterlife (while fighting her initial instincts). The discovery that Tahani’s silent soul mate Jianyu (Manny Jacinto) was also wrongly added to the community suggests Michael (Ted Danson) wasn’t ready to oversee his own heavenly suburb. It also raises the question, what else might be wrong?

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The Blacklist – Esteban

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: The Blacklist – Esteban
  • wiki: link

The Blacklist - Esteban

The search for Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), Tom (Ryan Eggold), and the baby begins. In Cuba, Reddington (James Spader) calls on the help of nefarious character, and secret CIA asset, Manuel Orentez Esteban (Paul Calderon) in hope locating Lizzie. The show’s writers go a bit overboard with the creepy eye-less Esteban who, desipite all his influence is limited in the help he can provide. Reddington and his team are too slow on multiple occasions to rescue Lizzie from Alexander Kirk (Ulrich Thomsen). While Tom fights an inglorious death in the middle of the jungle, Red and his team are able to at least temporarily rescue the baby, but even the team’s small victories prove short-lived.

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The (Not-Quite) Magnificent Seven

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
  • IMDb: link

The Magnificent SevenThe remake of 1960’s The Magnificent Seven starts in much the same manner, with a over-the-top villain (Peter Sarsgaard) threatening the prosperity of a peaceful farming town. Unable to protect themselves a small group (Haley Bennett and Luke Grimes) leave the town looking to hire gunmen with their meager resources. What they find is bounty hunter who helps recruit a motley crew of cowboys and outlaws willing to take on impossible odds for little reward.

There are some important differences between the two films (and not only the fact that the setting is moved from Mexico to a nondescript location somewhere in the Old West). The first is choosing to make the quest personal for one member of seven which changes the climax of the film in ways that aren’t necessarily improvements. As with the other changes (such as the town’s reaction to the outlaws, the makeup of the seven themselves, and a more dramatic tone to the movie), choosing to make the lead character’s choice as much about vengeance as justice is an important distinction. Because of this, and the more dramatic slant to other aspects of the story, the remake lacks the larger rousing heroic scale of the original.

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